Nakia Cockatoo believes it's no coincidence his AFL fortunes have improved since he began reconnecting with his Aboriginal roots.
Blessed with explosive power and speed, the fit-again Brisbane talent is poised to play a decisive role in the Lions' AFL premiership push this season after overcoming a hamstring injury to finish the 2021 campaign in their best 22.
The 25-year-old spent five hit-and-miss seasons at Geelong before that, an injury-plagued run he says finally abated once he reconnected with his vast family network across Australia.
Uncle and former Essendon and Port Adelaide forward Che Cockatoo-Collins, now living on nearby Stradbroke Island, has been a constant mentor.
But Cockatoo said it was a phone call to another uncle, a traditional healer in remote far north Queensland, that truly resonated.
"He said 'I'll blow through the phone twice and you'll feel a tingle (in your hamstring)'," Cockatoo explained of his experience with traditional healing, which Aboriginal people believe is inextricably linked with connection to country and cultural identity.
"I'm still trying to get my head around it ... I put the phone there and I didn't say anything, but I felt the tingle.
"It's hard to understand how amazing that was for me; that was the start of the cultural journey."
He said recurring dreams had prompted him to reach out to other relatives while he has even tapped into the cultural knowledge of an Indigenous child who regularly performs smoking ceremonies at Lions events.
"It's been a big part (of my life) in the last couple of years," he said when asked how his family have influenced his career.
"I started contacting family, reaching out and doing some cultural stuff, a bit of healing.
"That's really helped me grow a lot as a person and perhaps me finding out more about my culture as well and realising how powerful it is.
"It's put me in a good place again."
The Lions will play Adelaide at Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium in a Friday morning practice match, with Cameron Rayner sporting a shaved head and fit again after missing last season with a knee injury while Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale is also niggle-free.
Part of the side's straight-sets finals exit last year, Cockatoo understands how driven the Lions are to prove themselves at the pointy end.
"Losing by one point (to the Bulldogs) was obviously devastating for us. We've got a bit of fire from that," he said.
